decision day. president obama and mitt romney make final arguments before millions of americans head to the polls. >> on november 6th, we come together for a better future, and november 7th, we get to work. >> are you fired up? >> the first votes are in. while millions have cast early ballots, the first polls open up overnight. while the effects of superstorm sandy disrupt the vote in many areas, millions remain in the dark and cold without power as a new storm bears down on the northeast. captioning funded by cbs good morning, everybody. i'm glad to be with you.

i'm terrell brown. at least 120 million americans are expected to vote today in an election driven by record spending and even now, the outcome is up in the air. looking at the last gallup daily tracking poll of likely voters, president obama and mitt romney are separated by just one percentage point, a virtual tie. we have two reports this morning. randall pinkston is covering the romney campaign in boston. we begin with bigad shaban. >> reporter: president obama is spending election day in chicago. he cast his ballot there during early voting almost two weeks ago. the president wrapped up his campaign in des moines last night, just steps away from his iowa headquarters during his first presidential bid in 2008. >> are you fired up? >> reporter: president obama made one final plea for votes in the critical battleground state. >> after all the months of campaigning, after all the

rallies, after the millions of dollars of ads, it all comes down to you. it's out of my hands now. >> reporter: president obama plans to continue his election day tradition of playing basketball with friends. >> reporter: i'm randall pinkston in boston. underscoring how close this election is expected to be, the first town in the nation to vote ended in a tie. >> this has never happened before. we have a tie. >> reporter: they gave five votes each for the president and mitt romney. romney plans to cast his own ballot in massachusetts this morning. he will then immediately hit the campaign trail, rallying supporters in cleveland and pittsburgh to get them out to the polls. romney says momentum is on his side. >> these last months of our campaign have seen the gathering of strength of a real movement across this country. it's evident in the size of these crowds like this tonight. my goodness. >> reporter: romney says he will

deliver the change the president promised but failed to do. randall pinkston, cbs news, boston. nearly 30 million americans cast early ballots. early voting was available in 34 states. in ohio, more than one and a half million of the state's nearly eight million registered voters have already cast ballots, according to state officials. legal disputes have already erupted there and in florida. cbs news will have the latest election results. coverage begins tonight 7:00 p.m. eastern time right here on cbs. hurricane sandy is playing a role in today's election. residents in new york and new jersey waited in long lines yesterday to cast early ballots. so many people were displaced by the storm that voters in new york and new jersey can cast ballots at any polling place. now more than a week after the storm hit, millions continue to deal with harsh conditions. no power, no heat, and plunging temperatures and gas lines that stretch for miles. another strong storm is headed to the northeast, possibly

flooding coastal areas already devastated by sandy. here in new york, 40,000 people lost their homes. jim axelrod reports. >> reporter: they're breaking up furniture for firewood on staten island. >> it's very cold. and they need to keep warm somehow. i'm glad that the fire department is not coming to put the fire out. >> reporter: desperate moms are standing in line in queens, hoping the donated food doesn't run out. >> it's hard, you know? because you don't want your babies to go hungry. >> reporter: all over the city, the powerful are getting an earful. >> you've got to be kidding me! where were you yesterday? >> reporter: help is now pouring in to new york and new jersey. marines have landed in staten island. 280 state troopers from eight states were sworn in to help in new jersey, including 50 from the mississippi highway patrol. more than a thousand utility crews from as far away as

california and canada are being staged at citi field, home to the new york mets. >> we're in hand to hand combat. we are just going block to block putting up facilities that have been damaged by those winds and/or the floods. >> reporter: john is in charge of power restoration for new york's largest electric company. con ed has restored power to 800,000 customers but have 150,000 to go before a coastal storm sweeps in mid week. >> it may slow down the troops that are out there doing restoration. >> reporter: on new jersey's long beach island, homeowners, including this woman, were finally allowed to check the damage. damage. >> the bottom fell out, so we were lucky that the house is still standing. we had seen pictures of the house, so we knew it had been badly damaged, but still seeing it is painful. >> reporter: meanwhile, the gas lines could get longer. the nor'easter could knock out power to some of the pumps that's just been restored.

jim axelrod, cbs news, new york. >> with that nor'easter on its way up the atlantic coast, some new jersey residents already hit hard by sandy have been told to evacuate again. the storm threatens to bring more flooding and wind damage to a region that's already had more than enough. meteorologist david bernard of wfor has details. >> still looks like a strong nor'easter is on the way for wednesday and into thursday. in fact, a look at the satellite picture will show us the storm developing over the lower mississippi river valley, and this is going to continue to take shape and strengthen over the next 24 hours. the details are still a little bit unclear on exactly what's going to happen, but in general, the worst of the weather wednesday and thursday. we can expect wind-driven rains in the coastal areas with gusts to 65 miles per hour, particularly on the east end of long island and other coastal communities. there could be a heavy wet snow inland, and depending on where that falls, that could contribute to additional power

outages and we're also very concerned about some significant coastal flooding in areas that suffered a lot of damage during hurricane sandy. again, more details will be available in the next 12 hours. i'm david bernard, cbs news, miami. coming up on the morning news, it is halftime in america. president obama and mitt romney make a final pitch to sports fans in a pair of last-minute interviews on "monday night football." but first, caught on tape. the frightening collapse of a centuries old building. this is the morning news. . this is the morning news.

as many as 17 families are homeless after a historic building collapsed in peru sunday. the building suffered extensive damage from a fire that witnesses say was started by drug users. it was built in 1753 and was designated a national monument in 1988. no one was injured in the fire or the collapse. the u.s. soldier accused of

killing 16 afghans, including nine children back in march, will be in court in washington state today. the pretrial hearing of sergeant robert bails begins monday. prosecutors say they'll seek the death penalty. the hearing could last two weeks. bails has not yet entered a plea. a massive wildfire in southern california shut down a major highway. the wind-driven flames burned 350 acres, about 60 miles east of los angeles, about 200 firefighters are battling the fire which broke out monday morning. several homes were evacuated and officials say traffic is flowing again on interstate 15. and a beaver dam broke in washington state, sending a torrent of water and mud through a small town, about 20 miles northeast of seattle. one resident whose home was damaged by the flood, says the wall of water was about five feet high. no injuries were reported. when we come back on this tuesday morning, we'll have your weather forecast, and flight fight. we'll see why the nation's

number one drama at the box office doesn't fly with budweiser. y the nation's number one drama at the box office doesn't fly with budweiser. jack? jaaack? jaaack?! jack?! looks good ladies! jack! come on, stop the car. jack! no, no, no, no, no! the only thing more surprising than finding the perfect gifts.. niice. ...is where you find them. how did you know? i had a little help. this is how to gift. this is sears.

here's a look at the weather in some cities around the country. in new york, partly sunny skies. partly sunny in miami 82. sunny in dallas, 72. sunny out in l.a., 88 degrees. let's check your national forecast. dreaded nor'easter is taking shape. rain and thunderstorms will roll

through the southeast and florida today. a cold front that will feed the nor'easter is moving through the midwest, bringing more rain and showers. in the northeast, it's the calm before the storm. it will be sunny and dry. it will be warm and dry across most of the west. "cbs moneywatch" time on a tuesday. investors go into watch and wait mode. and greece braces for violent protests. ashley morison in new york with more. good morning. >> overseas trading was light ahead of u.s. election results. tokyo's nikkei lost a quarter percent. the hang seng dropped a quarter percent. wall street is also waiting to see who wins a presidential election. investors are reluctant to make any big moves without knowing the winner. on monday, the nasdaq add 17. some analysts say no matter who wins, the markets could see a surge. two days of general strikes begin today in greece. the country's unions are protesting a new austerity plan that imposes wage and benefit cuts. the strike will ground flights,

halt trains, close schools, and staff hospitals with minimal workers. lawmakers are set to vote on the austerity package tomorrow. suzuki will no longer sell cars in the united states. the japanese auto maker filed for bankruptcy on monday. the debt and liabilities range from at least $100 million to up to $500 million. as part of its restructuring plan, suzuki will stop its car and suv sales in the u.s. but continue to sell motorcycles, atvs, and boat engines. general motors says it's boosting its cash reserves with $11 billion in credit lines. gm may be preparing to buy back shares held by the u.s. government. the treasury department holds a more than 26% stake in the car company following the 2009 auto bailout. gm received a credit from 25 financial institutions in more than a dozen countries. and it's not often that

companies don't want their product shown in a hit movie. but budweiser says it wants its beer taken out of the new film "flight." in the movie, denzel washington's character plays an alcoholic pilot. budweiser is asking paramount pictures to obscure or remove its product from the film. another producer says it did not consent to have its product shown in the film. in the first weekend, "flight" grossed $25 million. what happened to there's no such thing as bad publicity. >> yeah, exactly. a little sensitive, too, right? it's just a movie. >> it's denzel washington. in sports this morning, "monday night football" and the saints shoot down the eagles. here's the big play. michael vick gets picked off by patrick robinson. he flies down the sideline 99 yards to put the saints up 7-0. drew brees tosses two more td

passes to extend his nfl streak to 51 games. the saints roll over the eagles 28-13. philadelphia now losers of four in a row. during halftime of the eagles-saints game, mitt romney and president obama talked football in an interview on espn. the president was asked if his chicago bears are good enough to win the super bowl. >> yes, they are. best defense in the league right now. you saw yesterday's game. tillman may be defensive player of the year the way he's playing. >> and romney talked about his favorite team. >> the new england patriots. i've lived in massachusetts now 40 years, and i take personal full responsibility for their two super bowl wins. >> romney also said the issue of performance-enhancing drugs is the biggest problem facing sports in general. and some good news for indianapolis colts head coach chuck pagano. he's been fighting cancer since

september. now his doctors say he's in remission. he made an emotional postgame speech after the colts' big win on sunday. he hopes to be on the sidelines for the season finale on december 30th. when we come back, a sprint to the finish in virginia. campaign volunteers go door to door to seal the deal.

and polls have led to this moment. but in a race that'o close to call, the campaigns not over yet for mitt romne. plus: the polls open in just over two hours. what issues are on the top of voter's ms this morning. and they could affect you fr years to come. which propositions are still too e to call. join us for cbs 5 eyewitness news this morning... beginng at 4:30. ,,,,good morning. it's tuesday,

here's a look at the weather in some cities around the country. in d.c., partly sunny, 50 degrees. showers in atlanta, 54. mostly sunny in denver, 72. afternoon rain in seattle, 54 degrees. top stories now on this election day. a new storm is threatening to hamper recovery efforts in areas hit by hurricane sandy. nearly a million and a half homes and businesses remain without power as cold temperatures arrive. the new storm is expected to hit tomorrow. the first ballots of

election day were cast in new hampshire. president obama and mitt romney each got five votes. we're going to be here all night. the president will wait for today's results in chicago. mitt romney will wait in boston. in virginia, they're scrambling to get out the vote the old fashioned way, door to door. new poll shows the race there is a virtual dead heat. as wyatt andrews tells us, the campaign with the better ground game will probably take the state. >> reporter: if you live in virginia, the race for president has become a race to the front door. a ground game sprint by both campaigns to knock on hundreds of thousands of doors, to plead with their own supporters, to show up on election day. we watched romney volunteer mackie christiansen in leesburg, virginia. >> reporter: is this closing the deal? >> yes, definitely.

>> we need the voters. it's so close. >> reporter: nearby in gainesville, virginia, obama volunteers linda and taylor were urging the president's supporters not to get distracted or forget to vote. if they're supporting the president anyway, what's the point? >> the point is to remind them that their vote counts, their vote could be the one that flips it for our side. their vote could be the one that helps make a difference. >> reporter: the in-person visit did make a difference to obama voter stephanie torres. >> i think it does give it a personal touch. i think it does solidify your own decision. >> reporter: every step taken by these volunteers is science. >> i just encourage your support for barack obama. >> reporter: the campaigns, after making millions of phone calls, already know who has voted early, so they now with house by house precision where their likely voters remain. >> do they have a plan to vote? >> reporter: that precision means the door knockers are

given maps and shown the most efficient way to walk there. >> it tells us where to start, where to end. one of us takes one side of the street and the other takes the other. >> reporter: this leesburg neighborhood is still up for grabs. most of the voters like zack, a romney supporter, have been visited three or four times. how many phone calls? how many door knocks? >> i get a ton, especially on my home office phone. i must get six or seven a day. >> reporter: but both campaigns now believe virginia will be decided by the better ground game, after the candidates spent $86 million here on ad time and hundreds of hours in campaign time, virginia -- >> how much our taxes are in loudoun county, for example. >> reporter: come downs to face time. wyatt andrews, cbs news, leesburg, virginia. >> it is election day. coming up after your local news on "cbs this morning," special election day coverage and analysis. i'm terrell brown. this is the "cbs morning news." analysis. i'm terrell rown. this is the "cbs morning news."

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a week after hurricane sandy, commuters who use mass transit continue to face long lines. people stood for blocks in new jersey to board buses going into new york city on monday. transit officials say buses are still running on reduced service. federal officials are trying to secure 350 buses to alleviate the backup. much different.e scene isn't - they waited in lines that stretched for miles to fill up for a tank of gas. aaa estimates more than a third of the region's retail outlets remain shut down because of power issues or gas shortages, but ben tracy shows us one gas station owner in new jersey who found a way to stay open for business. >> reporter: in this gas line, there are no wheels. just feet. >> this is the only can we have. >> reporter: they come with their hands full and wait as long as three hours. >> right around here, this is the best line around. >> reporter: because in this line, there is no profanity, just patience. >> you take your time.

>> reporter: after the storm, richie dodd could have closed like other stations did, but he told his wife dottie he had another idea. >> he said the people need me, dottie, and that's what he's going to do. i said but richie, how do you do that? he said i have help. >> reporter: help in the form of a hand pump. >> this here is like a 1948 pump. >> reporter: he connected a copper pipe and drove it into his underground tank. in four days, dodd's crew has cranked out 30,000 gallons. >> people got to get their generators going. >> reporter: generators are the only source of light and heat around here, so a can is the hottest accessory in town. scott caldwell showed up with five of them. >> i got three little ones at home, so anything i can do to keep the house warm and keep them fed, i'm willing to do that. >> reporter: tracy did not care how much it cost. >> i just said richie, how much, and i'll write you a check. >> reporter: but the dodds did

not gouge their neighbors. >> that would never be richie dodd. those prices would never change. what it is, it is. >> reporter: on this corner, compassion is measured by the gallon. >> lots of people need the gas. we'll pump it for them. >> reporter: ben tracy, cbs news, new jersey. another positive sign of recovery, the world trade center memorial reopens today. it was flooded by sandy last week. tat water has been pumped out. parts of the visitor center were damaged by four feet of water, but officials say the most sacred part, the reflecting fountains, remains intact. coming up on "cbs this morning," we'll hear from david axelrod and senior adviser to the mitt romney campaign, kevin madden. plus, a look at california's controversial proposition 30, which calls for raising taxes to save public education. and the latest track of a nor'easter that threatens areas hard-hit by sandy. that and more a little later on

"cbs this morning." big sigh. here we go, folks. that is the morning news for this tuesday. appreciate you watching. i'm terrell brown in new york. take care. have a great day. ,,,,

>> your realtime captioner: linda marie macdonald well, it's here, good morning, everyone. tuesday, november 6. election day. i'm frank mallicoat. >> i'm michelle griego. time now 4:30. let's check the weather right away. i know lots of people will be heading out to the polls today, lawrence. what's it going to be like? i think it's great. do a